Can You Hear Me?
by Chibi-Onee-chan
Summary: Torii is a girl who goes to Fudomine & loves tennis with one problem. She is blind and sees through sound. So when she meets a member of the tennis team, can he teach her that you don't need sight to play tennis? ShinjixOC
1. Chapter 1: Torii Amaya

**Okay~ So I came up with this story after a bit of thinking. I think it will be really cool to make this work out in the end. So without further ado: enjoy!**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

***OCs are mine.**

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Chapter One:

Amaya Torii

"It's raining today, Torii-chan." A woman spoke inside a small apartment. Inside a small bedroom, a girl turned from her position in the twin-sized bed. Her black locks went down to her mid-neck and bangs covered her forehead and her eyes were closed.

"Does this mean I can go to school today?" The girl named Torii asked.

"Yes it does." The brunette woman replied. A smile grew on Torii's face. "It's raining all day today."

"Finally! Ne, can you help me with my uniform, Kame-san?"

"Of course."

~...~

Kame drove the black car, her purple orbs focusing on the road. Torii sat in the passenger seat, in the black Fudomine uniform with a long, gray coat over it. Her eyes still remained closed. Her head leaned against the cool glass of the window, listening to the rain pat down onto the car and other surfaces. Her eyes opened, to reveal a pale blue. She looked at the autumn leaves on the trees, indicating it was autumn. Today was October twenty-seventh.

"Every time I see the city, it always looks different, no matter how many times I look at it." Torii quietly spoke. Kame's eyes quickly looked to the girl before looking back at the road.

"Things change daily, Torii-chan, Even if it is a little bit.." Kame spoke, a gentle smile on her face as she came to a stop at a red light. Her dark brown hair was tied in a low ponytail and Kame looked in about her twenties.

"Kame-san, do you think I can see some tennis?"

"Rain and tennis normally don't mix, Torii-chan."

"I can't ever see tennis being played." Torii murmured as Kame arrived at the school.

"We're here, Torii-chan." The woman said, getting out of the car and going to the other side. Kame opened the door, and held out a hand for Torii after she pulled up her hood. Kame closed the door behind her. Torii smiled as she looked over the school. It looked so strange yet familiar. The girl began to walk towards the entrance of the school, where she could see other Fudomine students. The girl continued walking, taking the long way, going around the school. Kame had silently followed after her as she heard whispers among the students. The brunette stopped short when Torii had stopped. Her gaze followed the second year's to see the tennis courts. Torii turned away and continued walking to the back entrance. Kame frowned before catching up to the girl. Entering the back entrance, Torii's eyes closed as she removed her long coat; revealing her uniform. Kame walked next to the girl, carrying the coat over her crossed arms. She tapped Torii's left hand twice, telling her that she was at her classroom; two-six.

Meanwhile, Kamio and Shinji were just arriving at school, walking next to each other.

"Mou, I hate it when it rains. And we have an exam today in math…" Kamio sighed, rubbing the back of his head as the two went up a flight of stairs. The red-head looked to Shinji, as he seemed to be muttering to himself. "Oi, Shinji."

"To find a hypotenuse of a triangle use the Pythagorean theorem where a squared plus b squared equals c squared…" Shinji muttered to himself, causing Kamio to question whether or not he was paying attention to the rhythm freak. Kamio sighed, as he opened the door to his class, two-three as Shinji went to his own, two-two.

...Soon enough, it was time for lunch and the two second years were wandering the school. Shinji and Kamio were walking side by side, Kamio complaining.

"Damn Mori, he wanted to copy my homework again…Oi, Shinji, how's the math exam go?"

"Hard…" Shinji practically sighed, with no emotion on his face. Kamio scowled, as the two walked down the hallway. They stopped as they heard shouting.

"Amaya-san!" A woman called.

"I hate this! What's the point of learning f'ing brail! Why would I want to know "orange" is I don't know what "orange" looks like!" A girl's voice retorted.

Kamio and Shinji seemed to exchange glances as the two heard whispers from female and male students.

"That's Amaya Torii again isn't it? The blind girl…" A female whispered.

"She only comes when it rains and she always gets pissed over learning brail." A male whispered.

"Forget it! I'm going outside!" The girl's voice yelled.

"Torii-chan, you're going to run into someone!" A second woman's voice called.

"No one comes in this hallway, Kame-san!" Torii yelled, before the two tennis players heard a door slam. Kamio sighed.

"What was that about?" Kamio rubbed his head. "Let's go look." Shinji shrugged, following the red-head down the hallway. The two walked down the empty hallway, to the back entrance. Despite the rain, the two were interested in the girl, and wanted to find her.

"Ah, excuse me," A woman's voice made them turn. It was Kame.

"Hai?" Kamio replied.

"If you are going outside, if you see a girl with mid-neck black hair and pale blue eyes, can you get her to come back inside?" Kame pleaded.

"Ah, sure." Kamio nodded, before heading out the door, Shinji slowly following. The two wandered, as they got soaked from the rain, and decided to look elsewhere. Rounding the corner, the two saw the tennis courts. As they passed them, Shinji came to stop. "Shinji?"

"Over there…" Shinji muttered, his head nodding towards a bench. Kamio looked, to see a girl with black hair and her eyes closed.

"So that's her." Kamio spoke, going over to the bench, Shinji following. "Yo." The girl looked at him, her eyes still closed.

"Hi. What do you want?" The girl asked.

"Just wanted to say hi. I'm Kamio Akira, a second year." Kamio introduced.

"Second year, Shinji Ibu…" Shinji nodded. The girl's pale eyes opened.

"Amaya Torii. I'm also a second year. Your hair looks funny, Kamio-kun." Torii giggled, Kamio's face blushing. "And Shinji-kun's hair looks cool too."

"Ne, what are you doing out here in the rain?" Kamio asked. Torii leaned back against the bench.

"Sa…" Torii sighed. "I'm sure you heard from students that I'm blind. People think I'm a freak though."

"Why's that?" Shinji suddenly asked. Torii's eyes gazed from the sky to Shinji.

"I see through sound. I like the rain because rain drops make a sound against the first thing they hit. So when it rains, I feel like I can see." Torii quietly explained, letting the rain hit her face. "Everything is usually dark. Kame-san says that I see like its night time, where you can't see anything."

"So like the color black?" Kamio asked.

"I wouldn't know, but maybe." Torii frowned, looking back up at the sky. "When I hear sounds, the sound is bright. Like the opposite of night…says Kame-san."

"I guess that would be white." Shinji muttered.

"I have better hearing than people who see, so I guess that's why I "see" this way. Like right now, when you talk, it comes out as a sound wave. But since it's raining, I can see you right now." Torii mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "Wait…why am I telling you this right now. It's not like you care…" Torii laughed to herself. She stood, "Well, Kame-san is probably worried right about now, so I guess I'll head back."

"Wait," Shinji spoke, up, surprising Kamio as Torii had started off back towards the school. She turned, her eyes closed.

"Yes?"

"Why did you come to the tennis courts?"

"Sa…maybe my love for tennis keeps me coming here." With those last words, Torii headed back into the school. The two tennis players looked at one another, before heading inside as well; the lunch bell ringing to signal that class was to start once again.

...The day went fast and it was after school for Fudomine. Tachibana had called everyone to a meeting, at Kamio and Shinji's request. The group gathered in a classroom.

"What did you guys want to discuss?" Tachibana asked.

"Well," Kamio started, "We want to have some tennis matches today."

"Are you kidding, it's raining," Ishida protested.

"You can't play tennis in the rain," Sakurai added.

"Why do you guys even want to?" Tatsunori asked, Kyosuke nodding along.

"Ah, well.." Kamio muttered.

"Amaya Torii." Shinji intercepted, causing the team to look at him.

"Who's that?" Sakurai asked.

"A girl who loves tennis but can't ever see us play." Shinji explained.

"Why?" Ishida questioned

"She can only come to school every once in a while 'cause she is…sick." Kamio lied. "She only ends up coming when the weather is cooler out when it rains."

"So that is why…" Sakurai mumbled.

"Alright. I will permit a match between Ishida and Sakurai. Go get her, Shinji, Kamio." Tachibana sighed.

"Arigato, Tachibana-san." Kamio thanked the captain, before running off with Shinji.

Meanwhile...

Torii, with her eyes open, and Kame were walking towards the small black car that they used to get here, while it still rained. Torii sneezed.

"Mou, Torii-chan. You're going to get sick if you always run out into the rain like that." Kame spoke, Torii crossing her arms over the coat.

"Shut up, Kame-san." Torii stuck her tongue out to her guardian.

"Amaya-san." A male voice called, causing the black-haired girl to turn. Her pale eyes recognized them.

"Shinji-kun and Kamio-kun," Torii spoke, turning fully to face the two as they caught up to her. "What do you need?"

"Come with us for a sec," Shinji spoke, grabbing the girl's hand and leading her off.

"Eh?" Torii spoke, her face flushing. "Kame-san, wait for me in the car!" The girl called back to the brunette.

"O-okay!" Kame called back, her purple irises obviously full of confusion. Kamio and Shinji ran for a bit, dragging the girl behind.

"Where are you taking me?" Torii asked nervously.

"We wanna show you something." Kamio spoke, as the trio came to a stop. Shinji released his hand from hers as she looked straight ahead. It was the tennis courts. The rain continued to fall. In her eyes, it was a black and white scene, with gray hues and such, depending on the surfaces. A smile grew on her face. Ishida and Sakurai were playing a match with one another. Kamio and Shinji each took a hand and led her to the tennis courts. Releasing her hands, the three stood in front of Tachibana.

"You are Amaya-san, correct? My name is Tachibana Kippei, the captain of the team and a third year." Tachibana spoke.

"Nice to meet you, Tachibana-san." Torii smiled happily. The rest of the team came over.

"I'm Sakurai Masaya, a second year." The short-haired brunette introduced himself.

"Second year Tatsunori Mori." Tatsunori spoke.

"I'm second year Ishida Tetsu." Ishida greeted.

"Kyosuke Uchimura. Second year." Kyosuke nodded, tugging on his cap.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Amaya Torii, a second year." Torii said, offering a slight bow.

"I hear you like tennis. Would you like to see a match?" Tachibana offered, getting a nod in response. "Ishida, Sakurai. Continue your match." Tachibana ordered, the two running to start up again. Torii sat on a bench, her legs on the bench to sit her up so her butt was not touching. Shinji stood next to the bench with Kamio as the match resumed. All throughout the match, Shinji was watching at Torii's happy expression as she watched the game intensely. After about a half an hour, the match ended with Ishida winning. Tachibana walked over to Torii as the rain still came down.

"Thank you for letting me see a match," Torii thanked the third year as she stood from the bench.

"Come see us play again," Tachibana spoke, Torii nodding in response.

"See you again, everyone," Torii said, heading off.

"Shinji, see her out," Tachibana spoke to the raven-haired male. Shinji complied and headed off, catching up to the blind girl. Kamio smirked, fully aware of what Tachibana was trying to do.

"Amaya-san," Shinji quietly spoke, walking next to the girl.

"You don't have to call me that. Using my first name is okay." Torii interrupted.

"Torii-san, how did you come to like tennis?"

"My brother used to play it for me in the rain." Torii explained, taking Shinji's hand. "Ne, Shinji-kun, do you want to know what my favorite color is?"

"Color?"

"Even though I can't see them, I have a favorite. I like the way it sounds."

"What is it?"

"Blue." Shinji's face flushed between holding the girl's hand and the color.

"We're here," Shinji spoke, releasing the girl's hand. Torii looked at Shinji with her pale eyes, before smiling.

"See you again, Shinji-kun~" Torii waved, before running off to the running black car. She got in, and closed the door. As the car started off, the girl waved out the window.

"See you…" Shinji muttered.

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**Ne, Ne, Ne! Did you like the chapter? I liked it. :D **

**Please leave reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2: Over For Dinner?

**Woohoo, here's the next Chapter already!**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis AT ALL!**

***All OCs are mine!**

Raf Kowalski: Thanks for telling me that's how you spell braille! XD

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Chapter Two:

Over for Dinner?

October Twenty-Eighth.

"Torii-chan, today it's cloudy." Kame spoke to the girl lying on the tan couch in the middle of the living room. The apartment was small, with two bedrooms, one bath, and a small sized kitchen. Torii sighed, lying on the couch.

"Damn. I want it to rain!" Torii complained, her eyes closed. "I'm not going to school." The black-haired girl laid on her stomach, and used her arms as a head rest. A thin white blanket covered the body below the neck.

"Don't be like that. You go when its cloudy out. There's a thirty-percent chance of rain."

"It just rained all day yesterday. There's no rain left to fall. The sun's gonna have to come out and make more water vapor first." Torii spoke, waving her hand back and forth, "Don't try to fool me into going to school to learn damn braille."

"Torii-chan, if your mother was here, you would go." At those words, Torii's pale blue eyes opened and glared in the general direction of the brunette.

"If my mother was here, I would be doing a lot of things." The girl spoke, before closing her eyes again, and resting her head on her arms.

"Sorry." Kame apologized walking over to the couch. Her purple irises looked down at the girl.

"It's not your fault. I'm staying home today, okay?" Torii spoke, turning onto her side and falling asleep. Kame sighed, heading off into the kitchen.

Fudomine Middle School

Meanwhile, Shinji and Kamio had arrived at school and were in the middle of class. Kamio was in English, and Shinji was in Math. Thankfully, lunch soon came around for the Fudomine students. Kamio and Shinji were walking towards Torii's classroom, deciding to see her. As they came upon classroom two-six, they noticed it was quiet. Looking inside, they noticed a curly-haired blond teacher with green eyes. She looked to the second years.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked.

"Ah, we were looking for Amaya-san," Kamio replied.

"She's not here today." The teacher bluntly replied.

"Sorry for the interruption then," Kamio apologized, before going to close the door.

"Wait. Could you take this to Amaya-san for me. This is her address." She cut in, walking over to the door, handing the red-head with a book and a piece of paper. "You seem trustworthy if someone actually knows her in this school."

"Sure…Bye sensei," Kamio parted, closing the door and looking at Shinji. He looked at the raven-haired boy, coming up with an idea. Shinji raised an eyebrow as the two headed back for their classes.

After School

Shinji walked with Kamio outside the school.

"Shinji." Kamio stepped in front of the raven haired boy.

"Hm?"

"Take the book to Amaya-san."

"Why me?"

"Because." Kamio bluntly stated. "I'll cover for you." With that, the rhythm freak gave the book and address to the muttering player and ran off. Shinji sighed, turning to head for the main entrance to the school. As Shinji left school grounds, muttering to himself, Kamio snickered.

"Kamio. Where's Shinji?" Tachibana asked him, at the tennis courts.

"Off to go meet Amaya-san."

"What are you trying to pull?"

"I don't know. What were you trying to pull yesterday when you told Shinji to see Amaya-san out?"

"…" With no response, Tachibana turned. "Back to practice."

"Alright." Kamio smirked to himself, standing up.

Meanwhile, Shinji had just gotten off a bus, carrying the small gray book at his side. He looked at the piece of paper, before looking at the apartment building. He entered the white building and headed to the carpeted lobby with beige walls and decorations. At the desk, sat a man, a little stocky, with no hair and facial stubble.

"Can I help you?" His gruffly voice asked.

"Uh…What floor is apartment 29C on?" Shinji muttered.

"Floor Five."

"…Thanks…" Shinji thanked, before going to the elevator. He pressed the up button, and waited for the elevator to come down. He watched the cursive numbers light up as 'L' had then lit up and the silver doors opened. Shinji stepped into the empty elevator, and pressed '5.' The doors closed, and Shinji was alone in the tan striped elevator as it slowly made its way to floor five. The elevator opened, revealing a gray carpeted floor, and a red wall. Shinji stepped out, seeing the golden script 'five' on the wall, a potted fern below it. He read the sign that said 'one to twenty left, twenty-one to forty right.' So, following the instructions, the raven-haired second year headed down the right hallway, looking at the silver numbers printed on the doors. Soon, the male came to a mahogany door, with '29C' printed nicely on the door. The man went to ring the bell, suddenly nervous. His heart was beating fast, for some reason. Shaking the thoughts, Shinji took in a breath.

During this time inside the chestnut colored walls of apartment, twenty-nine C, Kame was cooking over the steel stove in the small kitchen. Her wavy locks were up in a high ponytail as she wore a white-button up shirt and blue jeans.

"Ne, Kame-san, what smells so good?" Torii called from the living room.

"It's stir fry chicken. Do you want rice or pasta with it?" Kame called back.

"Rice~" Torii lazily called back. "I'm going in the shower!"

"Be careful!" Kame shouted as she heard the bathroom door close. Despite Torii's lack of sight, she memorized the apartment layout and where everything was. Kame had to remember not to move anything. As the brunette began to cook rice in a pot, she heard the shower turn on. And ten minutes later, she heard it turn off. As the food was finished, Kame began to serve it on two plates, steaming white rice on the plate and then the chicken along with the vegetables on top.

"Torii-chan, dinner!" Kame called, before hearing the doorbell ring. She walked over to it and opened the door. Her eyes widened a little, surprised to see the raven haired boy there.

"Shinji-san, correct? Torii-chan told me about you." Kame greeted.

"Ne, who's here?" Torii called, walking into the living room. She was wearing a long white shirt, that went to her knees, and sleeves that were too long. Shinji saw this and his face flushed.

"Torii-chan, put some shorts on!" Kame told the girl. Her pale blue eyes opened at that and she lifted the shirt.

"I have shorts on, see?" The white shirt lifted up revealed a pair of black loose shorts. "What did you think I was wearing under this?"

"Never mind. Shinji-san is here." Kame sighed. Torii's face flushed.

"I'm just here to drop this off. Your teacher asked me to give this to you." Shinji silently spoke. Kame took the book.

"Tch. Yoshida-sensei just wants me to read braille…" Torii mumbled, taking the gray book from her guardian and running her fingers over the bumps. "Brail Lesson Three." A vein seemed to pop out on the second year's forehead. "This one has colors in it."

"Torii-chan, get over it and go eat your dinner." Kame sighed. Torii stuck her tongue out in the general direction of Kame's voice before going to the dinner table. "Would you like to join us, Shinji-san?"

"Er…well…I kind of have to…" Shinji started to mutter before getting cut off.

"It's fine, Shinji-kun. Kame-san always makes a lot anyway," Torii called from the kitchen. Giving in reluctantly, the tennis player came into the small apartment. Kame closed the door behind the man and headed over to the kitchen, where she brought over and extra chair. Shinji quietly sat down at the end of the table, clearly uncomfortable, while Kame set a plate before him.

"I hope this is to your liking. Torii-chan makes me put pickles in whatever I make." Kame laughed a bit, sitting down.

"Shut up." Torii muttered, embarrassed, stabbing a piece of chicken with her chopsticks. "Did I get it?"

"No, you got the rice." Kame lied.

"Liar, I had to stab it hard!" Torii protested, making Kame laugh. Sticking her tongue out to the brunette, the second year stuck the food in her mouth. During this, Shinji had eaten quietly. His face was flushed. Coincidentally, his favorite food was pickles, despite it not being a real meal. Torii's gaze went to the muttering male. "Ne, is it good?"

"…It's good." Shinji spoke quietly. Torii smiled.

After dinner, Kame had put the plates in the dishwasher along with the things she used to make the food. As she did so, Torii tripped over the extra chair, and Shinji had caught her.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"I'm okay." Torii nodded, standing back up. "Kame-san, put the chair back before I trip over it again please." Kame laughed but said she would as the two students went for the door. It was obvious both of their faces were flushed. The two stood outside the apartment, after Torii decided to put on pants. She leaned against the wall as the two stood in silence.

"Do you really not like braille that much?" Shinji suddenly asked.

"It irritates me. Why am I learning things that I don't even know what they are." Torii mumbled. "I mean, I know what things like 'spiky' are because I can feel it, but I don't know what colors are and stuff. I only know black and white because Kamio-kun and you told me." Shinji grew uncomfortable again.

"What about tennis?"

"I really want to play it. But, you think it'd be hard when all you can do is rely on your other senses."

"I've seen people play with their eyes closed."

"…Really?" Torii asked enthusiastically.

"Ah." Shinji muttered, "Umm…Torii-chan." The use of the girl's first name made her blush deepen.

"Yea?"

"I could teach you tennis if you want." Shinji nervously spoke. Torii jumped at those words. Could she actually play tennis? The black-haired girl turned towards Shinji.

"Arigato, Shinji-kun." Torii smiled, hugging the raven-haired male, causing his own blush to deepen.

"Then…tomorrow? There's no school, so it should be okay." Shinji quietly spoke.

"Okay. Come get me at noon. Bye, Shinji-kun." Torii nodded, before heading back into her apartment. Shinji exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and his unknown rapid heart beat was starting to slow. Could the normally quiet Shinji Ibu be feeling for this girl? No…that's impossible. Maybe…Oh well, on with the story.

October Twenty-Ninth

Torii sighed as she sat on the couch, reading the brail book. It irritated her to no end, but Kame was out working at her job and she had no choice until noon. Right now it was ten-thirty. Torii had dressed in blue pants and a black sweat jacket. Kame's job was a waitress at a café down the street. Bored out of her mind, the second year decided to listen to the television as she threw the book behind the couch. Maybe she was bored because she was anxious. Maybe she was nervous to play tennis for the first time. Maybe because she was going out while it was sunny. Irritated, Torii got up as the T.V. played an episode of some cartoon, where she then proceeded to trip over the book she threw moments ago.

"Ow." The girl mumbled, picking up the book and throwing it on the couch this time. She stopped to listen to the television.

"Is that-" A male voice started.

"Twist Serve!" An obnoxious one yelled. Torii sighed, heading off to wander about the apartment.

Soon enough it was noon, and the doorbell rang. Torii ran to the door, after turning off the television and opened it.

"Yo." Torii greeted.

"Hi," Shinji replied. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans, and he wore a blue cap over his navy locks. "Are you ready?" The boy muttered, shifting the tennis bag over his right shoulder.

"Yep." Torii nodded. She shut the light off and exited the apartment, locking the door with a silver key that hung on a chain around her neck. Shinji lightly took her hand, much to Torii's embarrassment, and led her off. The two had exited the apartment, Torii's eyes had remained closed so far. To her discomfort, her eyes were light sensitive and it was one of the few reasons she only went out when it was raining. The two had walked down a few blocks and made it to a tennis club with an outdoor tennis court. Shinji led the girl to the tennis court, seeing as it was empty. He turned to her.

"You should get accustomed to the length of the court." Shinji spoke, leading her to the beginning of the doubles court. "This is for doubles. Walk straight till I say stop."

"Okay." Torii began to walk straight, counting her steps as she walked until Shinji told her to stop. Memorizing the amount steps in her head for doubles, Shinji led her to the beginning of the singles court and did the same thing. He told her if she started in the middle, then each side would be half the steps. Torii then proceeded to tell him that was obvious and laughed about it. Shinji blushed and led the girl to the left side in the middle. Shinji told her where she was and Torii figured then that was a quarter steps in and did the math.

"So we can start with serving." Shinji suggested.

"Okay," Torii nodded along as Shinji opened his bag and grabbed his racket. Coming back to Torii, he realized that her eyes were still closed.

"Does the light bother you?" He asked quietly.

"My eyes are sensitive.." Torii admitted sheepishly. The next thing she felt was a hat being tugged onto her head. She felt it and smiled. "Arigato," Torii thanked the raven-haired tennis player as her pale eyes opened.

"No…problem…" Shinji muttered. "Here, stand in this position," The second year put the racket in the girl's hand, and placed her in a serving position.

"Now what?" Torii questioned.

"You throw the ball up high in front of you, then you turn your body straight, and hit the ball as it comes down." Shinji instructed, making her body move as he explained. The racket made a light noise as the ball bounced off it lightly, went over the net, and went in the service box.

"Umm…okay…" Torii spoke quietly. Shinji's face flushed when he realized that he was still holding onto her.

"….Ready to try…?"

"Yea."

"Here." Shinji placed a tennis ball in Torii's left hand.

"Here I go."

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**Okay, I hoped you enjoyed this quickly updated chapter! Haha.**

**I realize Shinji is kind of OOC, but I don't know how to make a second year who mutters act around a girl. Haha. Oh well. It's cute to see him caring XD**

**Please Review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Tennis for Beginners

**Okay, here is the next chapter. This is later than the first two cause well, the second one kind of makes up for that xD. I also realized that in the last chapter, Shinji called Torii "Torii-chan", that was a mistake on my part xD**

***To Raf Kowalski: Kame's identity is a secret for now~ Revealed later on in the story!**

**I won't be uploading too frequently from now own. Umm, I have a lot stories right now and all of them are on-going, so I have a lot of work to do. So, sorry 'bout that. **

**Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter!**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis AT ALL!**

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Chapter Three:  
Tennis For Beginners

"_Here I go."_

The light ball was gently thrown high into the air by Torii's hand, her petite frame following the motion to serve. Her pale blue eyes looked up, listening for sound. Quietly, quietly. Trees rustled from a small breeze. Birds chirped at the nice weather. Cars passing by on the streets. People out and about, their feet shuffling and their mouths chattering. Her eyes closed, listening for the sound of the tennis ball cutting through air. Her breaths light and easy, she could hear the light breathing of the raven-haired tennis player next to her. Exhaling, she heard the ball slowly coming down. Hearing the ball close in, she followed through, listening for contact. Nothing. Instead, she heard the tennis ball bounce onto the ground.

"I missed…" Torii admitted quietly, tugging on the blue cap that sat over her black locks.

"You waited too long," Shinji spoke, coming over as the girl's eyes opened once again.

"What did I do wrong?"

"The racket is like an extension of your arm. You waited until it was within your reach," Shinji explained quietly, blushing at the girl's pouting expression.

"I don't know how far it goes," Torii protested, holding out the racket. Shinji tapped the edge of it, putting a little pressure on it. "I got it…"

"Why don't you try again?" The mumbling tensai picked up the tennis ball on the ground, and gave it to Torii. Her hand tightened on the ball before getting back into position.

About an hour later, one-thirty in the afternoon, the two were still practicing. Torii panted slightly as she hit a tennis ball over the net, but missed the service box.

"This is so frustrating!" The girl complained, crossing her arms.

"Let's take a break." Shinji told the girl, as she happily complied. She walked to the end of the tennis court before stopping to wait for the second year who then led her to the bench. She sat, placing the racket on the bench and leaning against the back. "I'll get something to drink," Shinji mumbled, before going over to a vending machine.

"Cola please~" Torii called to the boy, tugging on the cap. Shinji got the two drinks, and brought them back to the bench. He handed her the brown can that wrote 'cola' in big, white letters. He watched as she fiddled with the can before finding the tab to open it, as he opened his own.

"You're starting to get the hang of it."

"Well, now I know the service box measurements and I've got the timing for serving down."

"It'll take some more practice, but you'll do good."

"Easy for you to say, Shinji-kun," Torii stuck her tongue out at his general direction, and he almost laughed. Almost. As the girl took a sip of her drink, she set it on the ground before standing. "Let's continue." Torii spoke, the tennis player following behind her, sticking his hands in his jean pockets.

Meanwhile, Kamio and Tachibana were doing shopping for the tennis team. Kamio carried two plastic bags over his shoulder while wearing a white shirt and a dark-colored vest with jeans. Tachibana carried two at his side, while wearing a black jacket and jeans.

"Ne, what else did we have to get?" Kamio asked, looking at the captain.

"Mori needs more tennis balls, and Shinji wants grip tape (of course)," Tachibana sighed, irritated that he had to do this. Kamio was irritated because he was filling in for Shinji. Shinji asked him to do it, and Kamio only had a vague idea as to why. In a few seconds, he would though.

"Why is serving so GOD DAMN HARD!" A girl's voice yelled from across the street.

"Well its not like you were going to do good the moment you started…" A familiar male voice spoke, before it began to mumble. Kamio and Tachibana looked to see the tennis club and a little to the left a tennis court with two people on it. Both looked familiar.

"Shinji-kun, shut up." The girl mumbled.

"Let's move onto forehand and backhand for now, Torii-san." Shinji sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Torii stuck her tongue out at the man before nodding to agree. Kamio and Tachibana looked to one another with a questioning look. 'Torii-san?' When did he start calling her that? The two tennis players decided to watch for a while to see what was going on.

Two hours later, the two second years were still playing tennis, and Torii was doing quite well. She had been doing great in everything, except serving. The two had decided to take a break as Torii sat on the ground and leaned against the bench. She loosely held the cola can by the top as Shinji stood and leaned against the bench's side.

"Do you want to continue tomorrow?" Shinji asked.

"Tomorrow is Sunday right?" Torii confirmed.

"Yea."

"Okay~" Torii nodded and smiled. Shinji's face flushed and began to put the tennis items away. "What time is it?"

"About three-thirty." Shinji spoke, looking to the pale-eyed girl as she stood.

"Kame-san is getting off work soon," Torii yawned and tugged onto the navy cap. She put on her black jacket that she had taken off an hour ago and zipped it up.

"Oi, Amaya-san!" A male voice called, making her look to the general direction.

"Kamio-kun?" Torii tilted her head. "Shinji-kun, I thought I told you to tell them to stop calling me by that name. I don't like it."

"Eh, really?" Kamio asked as he came upon the duo, still carrying the bags. Tachibana was behind him. Shinji nodded.

"I forgot," Shinji mumbled, looking at the girl that came up to his chest.

"Oh well. Now they know," Torii waved it off. "Eto, which way do we go?" Shinji walked up to her, after grabbing his tennis bag and putting it over his right shoulder. He began to lead her off. "Bye Kamio-kun, Tachibana-san," Torii waved good bye to the two as she headed down the sidewalk.

"She knew I was here?" Tachibana silently questioned.

"She must've heard your footsteps…" Kamio suggested to the third year.

October Twenty-Ninth

The weather was cloudy for the day, as Kame had told Torii, but it would be cold out. Kame had work once again, leaving the blind girl to herself until Shinji would pick her up at three. Since it was almost Halloween, Fudomine was going to hold a Halloween festival, and Shinji had to go help out. Torii didn't, considering she was blind and had her own class with no one else. The time now? 11:27 AM. Torii's condition? Bored. Not that it was anything new to her. Torii lounged on her couch, one of her legs hanging off. She wore dark wash jeans and a caramel colored t-shirt that had a tiger jumping down and the word 'strength' in English letters. The heat was on, making the room warm, as the black-haired girl listened to her ipod. The large black headphones sat around her neck, the wire leading to the ipod in her pocket. Currently it was playing music by 'The Gazette', the song at the moment was 'Nausea and Shudder'.

"So long hikari no mukoueSo long namonaki jiyuueSo long huanwo nomikomeSo long dareyorimo takaku tobe…" She sang along with the music, her voice in harmony with the music. She tapped her fingers along with the beat of the song, her eyes closed as she bobbed her head lightly with the rhythm. She had listened to music for a couple of hours, and then proceeded to read the Braille book she got from her teacher until two. At two fifteen, she was sleeping until three when she heard the doorbell ring. Standing, she walked to the door.

"Who is it?" Torii asked, before yawning.

"A delivery for the Amaya family. I need a signature." A male voice she did not recognize came through. Torii opened the door, even though she could not see him, it was a delivery man. He held a box, medium size, and a clipboard. He held out the clipboard, which Torii took along with the pen.

"Could you point to the signature line?" She quietly asked, embarrassed. The man seemed confused, but pointed to it, tapping on the clipboard. "Thanks." She then added as she signed her name. She handed back the clipboard and took the box. Giving a slight bow to the man, she turned and headed back into the apartment. She closed the door behind her. Moving to the kitchen, she placed the box on it. Torii did not know who it was too or who it was from. The label didn't have Braille on it. Going to a draw, she pulled out scissors, and opened the box. Feeling around in the box, she pulled out an item. It felt like fabric, soft, maybe a blanket. Torii wouldn't know until later. She moved back to the couch, and turned on the television. It announced the time and temperature as a commercial before going back to a TV show. The time was 3:14 and the temperature 52 degrees. Shinji was late. Closing her eyes, Torii tried to think of possible reasons, but couldn't find any.

"Why should I be so upset…?" She spoke to herself, before feeling a vibration in her pocket. It was her phone, a dark blue one. Flipping it open, she felt the Braille button to have the phone read the text she received to her. In an electronic voice it spoke:

"From: Kame-san: Sorry, Torii. I'll be working late today. I'll pick up dinner on the way home. End of message." Torii sighed, closing the phone and sticking it back in her pocket. Only the sound of the television was left, playing the news.

"Coming to you live from Tokyo. My name is Ikeda Yumi. I am at the scene where today at two-forty five pm, a bus had gone off course and crashed into a building. Three students believed to be from Fudomine Middle School were hit, but not killed. Their identities have not yet been confirmed, but they have not sustained serious injuries, as the bus driver was able to serve to the side at the last moment; avoiding a full on collision with the students. The bus' breaks had not been working, believed to be from faulty wiring. An investigation is taking place for any tampering with the brakes…" A woman's voice came from the television. Torii's eyes had widened at the news. Could one of those students…been Shinji? The doorbell ringing made her jump. She ran to the door, opening it. It was Shinji, standing there with his tennis bag over his shoulder and wearing his school uniform.

"Torii-san? I'm sorry I'm late. The setup took longer than we thought...and.." He stopped when he looked down at her. Her pale eyes had tears in them.

"Shinji-kun!" She cried, running into his arms suddenly. Shinji looked surprised as he had his arms around her. "I thought you were hit by that bus that crashed." Torii spoke between cries.

"It was three first year students from our school." He spoke, in a mumbled tone, his face flushed. Torii looked up at him, her face, too, flushed. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay." She embarrassedly admitted as she stepped back.

"Do you still want to play tennis?"

"Yea," Torii then smiled at the man. She grabbed her sweat jacket, turned the television off, and locked up the apartment. She then joined Shinji on their way to the tennis courts. The two walked side-by-side. Both their faces were flushed, and neither of them knew it.

After an hour of being at the club, the two decided to have a small practice match to test Torii's skills. Shinji served, and Torii barely returned it, but nonetheless it started a rally between the two. The raven-haired boy was going easy on her, so she could get some better practice. After about fifteen minutes, two voices made them stop.

"Tch. Look at these kids, using our court." One male voice spoke.

"Beat it you two." Another male voice went along with it. There were two men, looking to be high schoolers. The one on the left had black cropped hair and grass green eyes. The right one had long black hair, down to his shoulders and green eyes as well. They both wore black pants and a white t-shirt.

"There are other courts available. Use one of those." Shinji spoke, standing next to Torii.

"Telling us, the Kimura twins, what to do?" The long haired one spoke arrogantly.

"Why don't you take your girlfriend and beat it, middle schooler? Tennis ain't for kiddies." The other spoke. Torii's face flushed as well as Shinji's. Some people that were also using courts had been whispering to each other.

"Those boys again? They think they are the best and can push others around.." An older woman whispered.

"Forget it, dear. I don't want to be involved with them. I feel bad for those two.." An older male whispered back.

"Come on Torii-san, let's just forget them…" Shinji muttered to her.

"No." Torii firmly spoke. "I can tell just by their voices that they think they can push us around. Well they are wrong."

"Ohhh, so the little girl wants to stand up for herself?" The short haired one spoke. "What do you say about that, Haru?"

"Why don't we settle this with a doubles match? If we win, you two'll get lost and never come to this club again. If you guys somehow magically win, we'll never come back? Sounds fair, right Hiro?" The other, Haru, spoke to his brother, Hiro.

"You're on." Torii declared. Shinji looked at Torii, seeing her determination written on her face. With the battle declared, Shinji knew this was going to be a hard match for her to play.

"Let the battle begin." The twins spoke at once.

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**So, this chapter was kind of shortish. But I hoped you readers liked it. Umm, yea, I added a little drama with the bus incident. I needed to write something and it was all I could think of. **

**Yep, cliffhanger too. Torii's first real tennis match next chapter :O. How will it go? Who knows~**

**Also, for her music preference, I picked 'The GazettE', because I think their beast and I love their music. **

**Until next chapter:**

**Please Review :3**


	4. Chapter 4: First Match

**As promised on my profile, here is the update.**

**Let's see how Torii's first tennis battle goes!**

**Enjoy!**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

***OC's are mine.**

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Chapter Four:  
First Match

The evening was just beginning as the sun was starting to go down on the autumn day, as you could see through small cracks of the darkening clouds. In the tennis club, two pairs of figures stood on a tennis court surrounded by a small crowd. On one side, the Kimura twins Haru and Hiro, and on the other, Shinji Ibu, the mumbling genius, and the blind girl, Amaya Torii. Haru and Hiro stood confident, while Shinji looked uncomfortable and Torii looking determined to kick the twins' asses.

"Which?" Haru asked, flipping back his shoulder-length black hair.

"Smooth." Shinji replied, waiting for the racket to land; it landing on smooth.

"Tch, fine your serve." Hiro spoke, rubbing his cropped black hair. The Fudomine duo turned and looked at each other.

"I'll serve first and we'll take the first two games." Shinji told the girl.

"Yea, but if I don't serve right, we'll lose my service game. I think if I serve first then they can think we're weak and we can show them otherwise." Torii silently protested.

"But you'll have to serve again on the fifth game."

"But if you serve first, I'll have to serve on the third and seventh games. I don't want to do bad on the last game if we lose one along the way."

"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine. You've been doing really good for the past two days. It's like you've played before." Shinji spoke, putting his hand on the girl's head. Torii flushed.

"Hey, you guys gonna serve or what?" Hiro yelled, standing at the base line and Haru at the service box. Shinji looked at Torii before going to the serving position as she counted her steps slowly to the correct position to stand at. She prepared herself, listening for ball; it was a little hard with the crowd chattering but thankfully they all quieted down to watch the match intently.

"One set match." Shinji mumbled before he served his 'Kick Serve', which the two boys were prepared for and couldn't return. "15-love."

"That kid can use Kick Serve?" Hiro spoke in almost disbelief before regaining his posture. The twins prepared for another serve, which Shinji had hit about a second later. This time, Haru returned it, sending it towards Shinji. The mumbling boy sent it back, watching as Torii had been listening intently and was quite stiff; probably from nerves. Haru hit it back, towards Torii. She heard it coming, but panicked, and hit it with an accidental lob. The twins smirked, and Haru smashed it, which Shinji couldn't return in time.

"15 all." Haru spoke a smirk on his face, noticing the blind girl's panicked look. "What's wrong, little girl? Not so tough are ya?" The mumbling genius headed over to her, patting her on the head; causing their eyes to meet.

"You were doing fine during practice." He spoke.

"S-sorry. I'm just nervous 'cause their my first real opponents." Torii mumbled, looking down at her feet and pushing a piece of her black hair behind her ear.

"If you can't hit it, I'll get it for you." Shinji reassured. Torii nodded, and the genius headed back into serving position.

"You two ready now?" Haru called impatiently.

"Shut up and just get ready to lose." Torii snapped, her confidence coming back.

"You'll pay for that." Haru growled just before Shinji served once again.

Thirty Minutes Later

"Game. Shinji-Amaya pair. 2 games to 1." A bystander that had decided to be the referee called. Luckily, Shinji and Torii were winning by one game. The two looked at one another.

"Shinji-kun, I still can't serve." She spoke nervously.

"It's okay, we'll be tied and then we'll take the win." He muttered to her. She nodded, nervously, before making her way slowly to the service line. Her body shook a bit, and face flushing from the nerves. She took in a breath, ready to try and serve. Throwing the ball up, she listened for the ball to come back before hitting it. Contact was made, however the ball hit the net.

"Fault." The stand-in ref called. Her face flushed a little deeper and she prepared again. Taking in a deep breath, she followed the basic serving motion. The ball once again hit the net. "Double fault. Love-15."

"Ha! This girl can't serve at all." Hiro laughed, his twin laughing along. Torii's flush deepened in embarrassment, before gripping the tennis ball in her hand tightly.

"Shut up!" She yelled, serving the ball quickly, it not making it over the net.

"Fault."

"We told you this game wasn't for kiddies." Haru spoke, smirking. However, the blind girl continued to serve anyway.

"Double Fault, Love-30...Fault...Double Fault, Love-40...Fault...Double Fault. Game Kimura pair. 2 games all." The twins laughed at her unsuccessful attempts to serve. Shinji put his hand on her, trying to cheer her up.

"Ignore them, Torii-san. We can still win." Torii only nodded at this, her flush slowly going away. The match continued for another game, Shinji and Torii's win by a point.

"Time to take it up a notch." The twins murmured to one another, smirks sitting on their faces. They looked to the two waiting for Hiro to serve.

"The boy, right?"

"Right." Hiro agreed, getting into serving position. He went for a powerful serve, flying right passed Torii and headed for Shinji. Unfortunately, the mumbling tensai could not react fast enough and could only block the ball going for his face with his dominant arm. He made a small noise in response as the ball dropped to the ground.

"Shinji-kun!" Torii spoke, running up to the second year. "Are you okay?"

"It's fine. Just stings a bit." He quietly told her, before ushering her back into position.

"Hey, ya okay? Sorry 'bout that, kid!" Hiro called, a grin on his face. Shinji gave no response but just got back into a receiving position. "Cocky brat.." Hiro mumbled, serving again.

Throughout the next three games, Shinji had gotten hit on his arm twice, his legs three times, and a scratch on his left cheek.

"This game is ours, the girl can't serve at all. Easy win!" Haru spoke with arrogance, Hiro grinning. Torii stood next to Shinji.

"Are you sure your okay?" Torii asked, scared.

"It's fine. Just focus on serving." Shinji told her. She reluctantly nodded and went into serving position. She served.

"Fault...Double Fault, Love-15...Fault...Double Fault, Love-30...Fault... Double Fault, Love-40..." The serves went by so quickly.

"Ha, just one more and we win." Hiro spoke in his cocky manner. Torii gulped nervously. Her body was shaking and her face was flushing as the crowd had looked sad that the twins were about to bully more kids. Her hand tightened on the green ball.

"Torii-san, breathe." Shinji spoke calmly to the girl as she looked to him. She slowly nodded and got ready to serve when..

_Pat. Pat. _The blind girl looked up at the sky a moment, where the dark clouds covered the sky. _Pat pat pat pat pat._ It had started to pour rain. Torii looked ahead, seeing the tennis court, Shinji, Hiro, and Haru all standing. Shinji had looked to her, and she could see a small smile on his face.

"This match is ours. Hurry up and serve so we can get out of the rain." Haru yelled to her. Torii smirked back.

"You'll have to soak, now that I can see." She grinned, and threw the ball up. Seeing almost perfectly, she served the ball, it making it in. The twins were so shocked that they didn't go for it.

"Fi-fifteen-40." The ref spoke in disbelief. The crowd perked up under the roof of the building.

"Lucky shot." Hiro stated with an irritated voice.

"It won't happen again." Haru added.

"We'll see about that." Torii grinned.

Five seemingly quick games later, the victor had emerged.

"Match set. Shinji-Amaya pair. 7 games to 5." The ref called. The twins stood in disbelief in the rain.

"We did it!" Torii happily spoke, hugging Shinji; causing him to wince.

"Ah.." Shinji blushed.

"Ah, sorry. You okay?"

"No problems."

"Good." Torii smiled, taking him by the hand and headed for their stuff as the crowd had cheered and soon dispersed. The two Fudomine students prepared to leave and then headed off, leaving the twin brothers to themselves, both of them standing in the rain in complete shock.

Torii's Apartment

The second years had just arrived at Torii's apartment.

"You did good," Shinji complemented, a small blush on his face.

"It was thanks to your training, Shinji-kun." Torii smiled, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. "See you at school."

"See you." And with that, Shinji had left and Torii entered her apartment. She looked around for Kame, before hearing the voice.

"Torii-chan, that you?" Kame had called.

"Yea," She called back. A few seconds later Kame had come around the corner, in her blue jeans and white button-down shirt.

"Welcome back," She greeted as she pulled her dark brown hair into a low ponytail.

"What's for dinner?" Torii asked as she headed for her room to change into dry clothes.

"Shrimp Dumplings from work. Rice with it?"

"Yea." Torii spoke, coming out of her room with her long white shirt and loose shorts. She sat at the table, listening to the television as it aired the news until dinner was ready.

An hour or so passed, and the two were sitting on the couch; Torii listening to her Ipod and Kame watching a show.

"Where did you get that package from?" The purple-eyed female asked.

"A delivery man. What was it?" The blind girl replied.

"...Nothing important." Torii could tell Kame had hesitated before replying, but decided to drop the subject.

"I had my real match in tennis today."

"How'd it go?"

"Well-" The sound of the door bell rang, causing Torii to stop speaking.

"One second," The brunette told her, going to the mahogany door and then opening it.

"Hello, Kame-Onee-San." A female voice spoke, causing the Kame and Torii to stiffen. Moments of silence went by until Kame had responded:

"A...Anya."

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**Oh damn, Cliffhanger XD**

**Haha, wanted to end it dramatically. **

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter. :)**

**Please Review~  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Siblings

**Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I was working on my other stories. It's time for answers to questions! Who is Anya? What is she to Kame? And finally, what is Kame to Torii? Thanks to my reviewers and readers who have kept with me so far! Without further ado, enjoy!**

*** I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form!**

***I DO OWN my OC's Torii, Kame, and now Anya.**

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Chapter Five:

Siblings

"_A…Anya."_

"That's me," The girl identified as Anya arrogantly spoke, flipping her long black curls behind her shoulder. Kame's purple irises met Anya's own purple-colored orbs. Anya's eyes met with Torii's, who was standing and on guard at the moment; her face full of shock. "And you, you're still here?" Anya asked with arrogance towards the girl.

"S-so what? I can live wherever I want, Double A battery!" Torii retorted, glaring at the girl. Anya's face turned into one of irritation and walked right passed Kame and stood face-to-face with the blind girl.

"Don't call me Double A, you little twerp!" Anya growled. "Just cause my last name starts with A does not make me a battery!"

"That attitude sure makes it seem like it," Torii smartly smirked, noting that Anya's electrified personality resembled a battery to her.

"Just 'cause you were disowned by Mother does not mean you can be a smart ass to me!" Anya threatened, holding up her hand to slap the girl. Kame intervened in time, grabbing the girl's wrist as Torii had winced in fear.

"Anya, drop the subject! Torii, go to a friend's house while we talk." Kame instructed as the girl in her grasp struggled. Torii just nodded, quickly went into her room to change into jeans and a black sweat jacket and ran out the apartment in record time while holding onto her cellphone, closing the door behind her. Kame released the black-haired girl as she turned to face her. "Regardless of whether or not Torii was disowned by that woman, she is allowed to live with me because I am old enough to be her guardian." Anya bit her lip and grit her teeth.

On a Sidewalk with Torii

Torii shakily walked through the pouring rain, her hood on to at least protect her face as she made her way through the city. Her hands were in the jacket's pockets and were balled into loose fists. She took in a deep breath, looking around. She exhaled slowly as she stopped to take a small breather and leaned against the wet brick wall of a building. People passed her under their umbrellas or using their school satchels as protection as they went through the rain, some glancing at her. Not that she was able to notice. She exhaled another deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. She never wanted to see Anya or that woman she called her mother ever again. She had been disowned once she was 'old news' as her mother put it. Torii exhaled another shaky breath. She had to find someone to go to, or at least a place with a roof outside. She stood straight and began walking down the sidewalk, towards no particular direction. She debated whether or not to try calling Kame. She continued on, until a voice stopped her.

"Torii-san?" A familiar tone that was usually used for mumbling. She whipped around to see the person she basically wanted to see the most at the moment.

"S-Shinji-kun." She stuttered. Within a second, she was making contact with his chest. Her fists were loosely grabbing onto his sweater. He looked stunned a moment, before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"What happened?" He mumbled, ignoring the people staring at the two as they were soaked under the rain.

"Something happened at home. I need somewhere to go." She managed to say, holding back her tears. Whether they were tears of happiness at seeing him or tears of sadness because of seeing her older sister, she did not know.

"Come over then." He mumbled the offer, a slight blush present on his face. She nodded just a bit, but he understood and took her hand. He began to lead her towards his house. Soon enough though, the two arrived at Shinji's door. He opened the door and stepped inside the one-floor home and side-stepped for her to enter as well. She took a step in, a little scared as she did not know what the house looked like and that she had not been in another person's house before. Shinji closed the door behind him and looked down the hallway. It was a semi-long hallway. There was a small hall at the right which led to the bathroom and garage. To the left was an archway which led to the dining room which was also connected to the kitchen. At the end of the hall was an opening to the living room, and at the left just before that was the archway which led to the kitchen. Just before the living room at the right was a hallway which led to the bedrooms.

"Ibu-kun, is that you?" An older woman's voice called.

"Yea." Shinji called back in his regular tone. From the archway to the kitchen emerged a middle-aged woman. Her blue hair was tied back in a messy bun and her blue eyes gazed over to Torii. She stiffened at the feeling of being watched.

"A friend?" She inquired.

"Ah…" Shinji lamely replied.

"I'm Amaya Torii. It is nice to meet you." Torii bowed to the woman.

"The pleasure is mine. Ah, you two are soaked." Shinji's mother had walked up to them with a smile. "Shinji, go change and lend her some clothes." She instructed. Shinji nodded and led Torii by the hand to his bedroom, a plain blue color with some pictures of famous tennis players but that was about it. He went over to his closet and pulled out a black hoodie and some jeans and gave them to her. Torii thanked him and waited outside his door. He had changed into jeans and a dark blue hoodie and opened the door. He let her and waited for her to change outside the door. She came out a bit later, a bit embarrassed. The sweater was too big for her, the sleeves too long for her. She had the pants on with a belt and rolled up the bottom to avoid stepping on them and tripping. At the sight of her, Shinji couldn't help but blush when she wore his clothes. She looked flustered herself and her pale blue irises were gazing off to the side.

"They're big," '_but warm..._' She thought at the end in a soft tone, now looking to the ceiling. Shinji just stared.

"Ibu-kun, come bring Torii-chan here." His mother then called, snapping the two out of it. He began to lead the girl as kept running her fingers through her wet black hair, which was partially sticking to her face.

"What is it?" Shinji asked as the two went up to the woman in the kitchen, where they could both smell the food cooking. She looked over the flustered girl who was cautiously looking off to the side as if trying to grasp what the kitchen looked like. His mother pretty much pieced together that Torii had trouble seeing but decided not to mention it.

"Perhaps your sister's clothes would have been better," She mused.

"They would have been too small." Shinji bluntly pointed out.

"That's true. Torii-chan," -Torii looked back to the general direction of his mom- "are you staying to eat?"

"Um.." Torii looked down to the ground, before to her hand which held her cell phone. "If you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. The more the merrier." She smiled.

"We're back!" Two voices called at once. Shinji's mother looked to see two girls enter through the archway to the dining room.

"Welcome back, Minami-chan, Kaoru-chan." She greeted. The two girls smiled back, both having dark blue hair tied back in ponytails, but brown eyes. They each were wearing jeans and a jacket.

"Oh, Ibu-Nii, who's this?" Minami inquired, her head tilting to the side.

"A girlfriend?" Kaoru asked in the same manner.

"A friend." Shinji stated.

"I'm Torii." Torii introduced herself, giving a small smile to the two sisters of Shinji. The two looked at her closely, giving her the feeling of being watched again as she shifted uncomfortably, before grinning at one another.

"Ibu-Nii found a good-looking girlfriend!" Kaoru declared, pointing at Torii, who's face was lighting up bright pink. Shinji's was the same as the two younger girls laughed.

"Hey, don't tease your brother! Now go get ready for dinner!" Shinji's mother interrupted. The two complied and went out the kitchen as their laughter continued on.

"Forgive them. Ibu-kun usually doesn't bring people home much besides Akira-kun." Shinji's mother spoke, smiling at Torii.

"It's okay. I'm intruding on such a short notice..." She reasoned, his mother nodding.

"Ibu-kun, could you set the table please? Your father is working late so he won't be joining us." She asked of him. He simply gave a curt nod and did as he was told. Meanwhile, his mother stood next to Torii. "Is there something wrong with your eyesight?" She quietly asked the girl.

"I've been blind for as long as I can remember." Torii softly replied, her hand in front of her face. "But I've been able to quietly get by so there is no need to worry. Kame-san says I'm unique because I can see sounds."

"Kame-san?" His mother repeated.

"Ah, Kame-san…Kame-san is my older half-sister." Torii softly smiled to herself, looking back to the mother. "She's very kind to me."

"I see. Well, dinner is ready, so let's eat." His mother changed the subject, and Torii gladly went with it, sitting at the square table next to Shinji. On the other side the two sisters Minami and Kaoru sat down.

"Oka-chan, what did you make?" Kaoru asked curiously, looking at the food with her head slightly tilted.

"Fried rice with pork dumplings." Shinji's mother responded, giving her daughter a smile as she set the plate on the table and sat on one end of the table. She looked to Torii. "Don't be afraid to help yourself."

"Ah…umm…okay." Torii nodded shyly as everyone began to eat.

Back at the Apartment

"Still, that girl was _disowned_ . Why did you take her in? Mother is mad at you for doing that and still won't talk to you. She sent me to persuade you to kick Torii out." Anya spoke in irritation as this conversation went on.

"Anya. That woman is only my step-mother. She has no right what I can and can't do and I am an adult. She has no right to do what she wants with me." Kame crossed her arms. "That woman used Torii and when she was fulfilled of her usefulness, she was disowned almost immediately."

"That's because Mother always needs new material."

"Torii is not an object. She was forced against her will to become a model for that woman and can never go back to being fully normal with others." Kame bit her lip in fear she would continue to yell at the girl who had also been her younger step sister.

"But still-"

"Anya. Enough. Tell that woman I have no intention of returning Torii nor kicking her out of my house."

"She doesn't even call you "Onee-san" like she should!" Anya had childishly yelled.

"I told her it was not necessary." Kame finished the subject at once and pointed to the door. Anya made a 'tch' noise and headed for the door, her black Lolita dress swaying as she walked in her wedges. She turned and smirked as she opened the door.

"I hope Torii liked that package in the mail." And with that, Anya closed the door and was gone. Kame sighed, and looked to the box on the table. Inside was a soft-feeling slightly revealing dress that was a little too revealing and a note which had read in braille and in actual letters: 'You can't escape for long. You know you want to return to being a model. Your Mother, Anzai Kyoko.' Kame sighed and crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. Anzai was their real last name. Kame had gotten married at sometime after leaving home to a man with the last name Amaya, but he died in a car accident one day. When she had taken in Torii, she officially adopted her and had her last name changed to Amaya. Kame hadn't spoken of it much…and neither did Torii for that matter. She sighed, hoping her younger sister was not still out in the rain somewhere.

At Shinij's home

"Thanks for the food." The five of them stated as they all finished the meal. Torii and Shinji stood as the two sisters had run off to go watch television. Shinji had silently led a quiet Torii to his room, where he sat on the bed, and her on the floor. She was leaning against his bed frame, her knees brought to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

"…You're not going to ask?" Torii finally broke the silence in a soft voice.

"About?" Shinji questioned.

"Why I needed somewhere to go…"

"Mhm.." Shinji mumbled, "It's not really my business. Even though I want to know. Then again it's also your personal life…"

"Shinji-kun.." Torii stopped him as she softly laughed, a pink shade covering her cheeks.

"…Well you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Shinji wrapped up his mumblings for once, his cheeks a rosy pink.

"I feel that I can trust you…" Torii pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Can I trust you?"

"Ah…" Shinji muttered, looking at her now. "…You can."

"Then, I'll tell you…." Torii pulled her knees closer to her chest as she looked back at the ground. It was silent for a few minutes until Shinji inquired what she was telling him about. She exhaled a deep breath, trying to relax as she recalled the one thing she didn't want to.

"My past…"

* * *

**Phew, done. Eh, kind of a crappy chapter and short too. Well, next chapter Torii's full past will be revealed. It'll either cover one or two chapters. Until then, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Past

**So, here is the sixth chapter. Thanks to my reviewers! You guys let me know that this story is good, and that makes me really happy. ^.^ **

**So, without further ado, enjoy!**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form!**

***I DO own any, and all OC's in this story!**

* * *

Chapter Six:

The Past

"Torii-chan~ wake up! Let's play tennis."

Childish deep blue eyes cracked open as sunlight was suddenly shining on the young girl, who could be no more than four. She sat up, and rubbed her eyes, her long black hair sticking out in all directions, looking over to see the curtains opened. A hand ruffled her hair, and she glanced up to see a young male, looking about seven, with grass green eyes and short black hair that spiked much like her hair currently did. He donned black shorts and a blue t-shirt. She grinned, and jumped out of bed. She eagerly changed into a purple skirt and green tank top, with his help, and was led outside by the hand after tying her hair into a ponytail.

"Kio-nii," She called to him, tightly holding his hand.

"What is it, Torii-chan?" Kio gently smiled, tilting his head curiously.

"Why won't Mother look at you and Kame-nee?" Torii tilted her head when he didn't answer her question.

* * *

"_I only learned a few years ago that Kio-nii and Kame-san were the children of my Mother's secret married lover, Ikeda Hiroki. She was still married to her first husband…Anya's father, Anzai Haru. The two were actually co-workers. Anya's father believed the lie that the two were orphans taken in and continued his non-stop working.."_

* * *

"Don't mind that, let's go play." Kio grinned, dragging along the three year old. She smiled, nodding happily, and easily forgetting the question. The two soon arrived at a tennis court on the large premises that Torii called her home. Kio opened a shed and grabbed some tennis balls and two racquets; he handed a blue racquet to Torii. She skipped happily on to the court while Kio headed onto the other side. The two began to play; Kio hitting light and easy balls for her to hit. Despite that, Torii struggled, but was able to return some of them, albeit off the court.

"Torii-chan, Kio-kun!" A female voice called approximately a half hour later. The two turned, and Torii's grin grew wider if it was possible.

"Kame-nee!" She happily shouted, running over and hugging the fourteen year old brunette who had been wearing a white summer dress. Kame ruffled the girl's hair, and smiled at Kio as he walked up next to the four-year old.

"What's the matter, Onee-chan?" Kio asked. Kame's smile faltered.

"Mother wants to see us." She spoke, picking up Torii in the process. Kio gave a nod, quickly put away the tennis things, and ran after his sister. The three were in silence, Torii staring happily at the clear blue sky, before noticing a butterfly flying about. She looked curiously, watching it flutter around daisies, before it came towards her. It gently landed on her nose, and she went cross-eyed to stare at it. Kame and Kio laughed, causing the butterfly to fly away. Torii pouted cutely as they entered the large home. It was more like a mansion though. It was unnecessarily large, had too many decorations, had that huge yard complex, and a cement wall around the entire place.

* * *

"_At the time I thought it was the best place in the world. Being four…I guess the world was just that place to me.._"

* * *

"Mother, you wanted to see us?" Kio politely asked. The three now stood inside a medium-sized office room. Too their left was a girl who seemed to be approximately six years old. She wore a puffy pink dress and had her long black curls tied up into a bun. The girl's purple eyes met with Torii's before making a 'humph' sound and crossing her arms with a scowl on her face.

"I did. I need Kame and Anya for a photo shoot. Kio, your father wants to take you out somewhere with Torii. I don't know why, but just go." Anzai Kyoko waved her hand dismissively at him and Torii. Her amethyst irises looked disinterested, and she flipped back a piece of her long black hair. Kio nodded, taking Torii by the hand and leading her out.

* * *

"_It was around this time that Mother was married to my father, Suzuki Sora, after divorcing Anya's father about a year back. She never took up the last name Suzuki, and neither did I. I was often told by people that I look like my father.._"

* * *

"Torii-chan, it's good to see you," Hiroki smiled, ruffling the girl's hair. Kio had his father's eyes while Kame had her father's hair, although his was shorter in length; about ear-length to be precise. Torii stuck her tongue out as a pout for everyone constantly messing up her hair.

"Hiro-tan," She greeted a few seconds later, giving the man a hug. Hiroki turned and gave Kio a hug and earned a 'hi dad' in return, before motioning to a car.

"So I heard you two wanted to go to a tennis store." Torii perked up at the words.

"I do, I do!" She waved her hand back and forth. Hiroki laughed, and picked up the four-year old. He helped her into the car, ultimately claiming she was big enough to not sit in a toddler seat, and sat happily next to Kio in the back of the four-seat car. Hiroki climbed into the driver's seat and after checking that everyone had their seatbelts on, began to drive off towards the tennis store. Torii swung her legs and hummed to herself in excitement. She always loved going to the store with Hiroki. She loved him like she loved her father, and the two males were actually classmates in high school. Kio smiled at the four-year old's actions, and looked up at his father a moment, before glancing back to the window. After they arrived at the tennis store, Torii almost took off immediately. She was stopped by Kio picking her up and giving her a piggyback ride. The three entered the store, Hiroki grabbed a basket, and then headed over to tennis balls first. Torii always magically lost the tennis balls they had, and Kio could never understand why he couldn't find the bright green object. Hiroki took three cans of them and placed them in the bright red basket before moving on. Torii picked out a new racquet that was purple and blue, and Kio got one that was green. Lastly, Hiroki bought a small pack of hair ties for Torii's long hair. Kio waited by the door with his younger half-sister while his father went to buy the items. A few minutes later, the three were in the car on their way back. Torii was hugging her new racquet like a teddy bear. She couldn't wait until they got home so Kio and her could play. However, things went wrong. Hiroki began to drive over the intersection at the green, when a car from the left began speeding despite it being red for them. The two cars impacted and Hiroki's car rolled a few times before finally stopping in an upside down position. Torii peeked her eyes, seeing blood, and her half-brother huddled over her. She screamed.

* * *

"_I honestly can't remember anything else after that. I had passed out, and woken up in the hospital. I couldn't see and started panicking. I recall overhearing the doctor tell my father and Kame that I became blind because of the trauma of seeing my brother...dead…"_

* * *

"Torii! Wake up now!"

A groan and another yell from outside the door, a nine-year old Torii sat up in a hurry, realizing the voice was Anya. Her once longer black hair was cut to chin length. Her once deep blue eyes were pale. She stood and hurried over to her closet, thankfully remembering the layout of her room, before changing into a pair of denim knee-length shorts and a white blouse. She opened the door, revealing the eleven-year old Anya, still looking the same as ever.

"Finally," She grumbled, starting off. Torii stumbled after her, following the sound of her footsteps. She learned at age seven she could see through sounds, so her mother took it upon herself to decide that Torii didn't need a servant to help her around anymore. Finally reaching the woman she called 'Mother' 's office, Torii cautiously stood behind Anya. She felt she was being watched by her mother.

"Torii."

"Yes." The child immediately answered.

"Now that Kame has decided to leave us, I need you to help out with shoots. Your first one is today in the courtyard." Kyoko spoke Kame's name with disgust. Kame had turned nineteen about a month before, and decided she didn't want to deal with the woman anymore. Kame had also gotten engaged recently and was moving out to live with her fiance. Torii gave a small nod, fidgeting at the feeling of being stared at. "Dismissed." Torii headed out the door as quickly as she could, bumping into the end table just outside the door as she quickly headed for the courtyard. She kept her eyes closed once outside, the sun shining brightly in the cloudless sky.

"You must be Torii." A male with spiked brown hair and eyes approached her; a camera dangled around his neck. The only thing Torii did was nod, before being led off. She was changed into a white summer dress (despite it being fall at the time) and was currently standing barefoot around a set of trees, their autumn leaves containing each of the fall colors.

"Just stand naturally as if you were waiting for someone. We'll be blowing a fan for wind effect." A woman instructed. Torii put her hands against her chest, and leaned forward on one foot as if she was walking. Her head was tilting towards the sky. She could hear the clicking of the camera, and the instructions to change position. She clamped her hands behind her back, and looked down.

"Could you open your eyes?" The cameraman asked. She did so, but had to close her eyes at the sunlight. He requested it once again, complimenting that the shade of her irises were unique. Not to her though. She did as asked, opening her eyes. She heard the camera clicking once again. Torii could only keep her eyes open for so long, before they started to tear and she closed them. The tears slowly ran down her face, and the cameraman was rapidly taking pictures. He ranted about how wonderful she was doing..

* * *

"I never did like the things my mother made me do. She would always use me because of my eye color..." Torii wrapped her arms around her legs tighter if she could. Tears were threatening to fall, and she buried her head into her knees.

"Torii-san..." Shinji hesitated, but put his hand on the girl's head and lightly ran his fingers through her hair. He briefly recalled his mother doing this for him when he was younger. She has stiffened at the sudden contact, but relaxed at his gentle touch.

"Thank you, Shinji-kun."

"..For what?" Shinji began to ramble, "I didn't really help. I just listened, and I'm doing this comforting thing now, but I'm not really helping you-"

"For being a good listener and letting me tell you." Torii cut him off, a smile slowly forming on her lips. Shinji's face became lightly flushed.

"...Is your blindness temporary?" Shinji asked after a few moments of silence. She unconsciously brought her hand to her face.

"I'm not sure. I was told it might be, but no one knows how long it will take for it to stop." She leaned her head back onto the bed, staring at the general direction of Shinji. "Is it okay if I stay here until Kame-san calls?" Shinji gave a nod, before remembering she couldn't see it.

"Yea." Shinji said, watching as Torii climbed onto the bed and sat down next to him. She let her head rest on his shoulder; it was something she used to do with Kame when she was upset. Shinji let a smile grace his lips, watching as his classmate dosed off in that position. Things would be fine...

He hoped that for her they would.

* * *

**Why is it that my chapters look longer on Word and then I get them on here and they're a lot shorter. Weird.**

**Anyway, please review!**


	7. Final Chapter: Blue

**I'm such a loser for never getting to this, so if anyone is still reading, do enjoy this final chapter- but its very shitty.**

***I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis in any way, shape, or form.**

***I DO own any, and all, OC's in this story.**

* * *

Finale; Chapter Seven:

Blue

Shinji noted an hour after learning about Torii's past that the girl sleeping next to him was not likely to wake up even with her phone ringing that loudly. Deciding that it was probably best to answer it, the tennis player grabbed the cellular device, saw it was Kame, and then answered it.

"Torii?" The other side of the phone sounded worried.

"No…it's Shinji Ibu." Shinji replied, feeling awkward answering another person's phone.

"Shinji-san? Is Torii there?" Kame asked.

"She fell asleep after eating dinner at my house," He said, deciding to leave out the part about her past.

"I'm going to pick her up. Can you give me directions to your house?" Kame asked.

"Sure…"

October Thirtieth

When Torii woke up that morning, she immediately recognized the soft bedding as the one in her room. She was no longer in Shinji's house. She sat up, and swung her legs over the bed. She then exited her room, smelling something along the lines of eggs, and then entered the kitchen.

"Morning." Torii yawned. Kame looked behind her in a slight surprise, not even hearing her half-sibling come in the room.

"Morning," Kame greeted, continuing to make fried eggs. "It's cloudy out today." She had already set the breakfast on the table, where Torii then sat.

"Okay." Torii gave a small nod as she picked up her chopsticks. "How did I get home?"

"Hm? Oh, I got directions from Shinji-san to his house and picked you up. I washed his clothes so you can return them tomorrow at school."

"…Alright." Somehow, she had a bad feeling about tomorrow. It was Halloween, no big deal, but something in her gut caused her to feel off.

October Thirty-First

It was pouring again. For some reason, the rain really liked to fall lately. Torii almost saw it as a blessing. Almost.

"What do you want?" Torii frowned, her brows furrowed and a nasty look sent towards the visitor.

"Can't I visit my darling little sister?" The visitor, Anya, scoffed.

"No." Kame murmured, just loud enough for the blind girl to hear,

"Sorry…she was here when I opened the door to get the paper." Torii just shook her head.

"Don't you have children to frighten today? I'd advise you to wear a mask, but I think your face will suffice." The black-haired teen crossed her arms.

"How do you know if my face is ugly if you can't _see _it?"

"From what I remember from my younger days, I certainly recall an ugly cheeky punk." Even if she could no longer recall colors, she could definitely remember her sister's face…even if it was a black and white memory.

"_What?_" Anya growled. Before anything could be said further, the doorbell rang. Kame uneasily moved towards the door, peering through the peephole. She smiled then, and opened the door.

"Good morning, Shinji-san," She greeted softly. Even though he looked confused, Ibu greeted in a murmur. "Sorry, just wait here for a second." With that, Kame turned around. "Torii, come here."

"Okay?" Torii took a few steps towards the door, cautious of where she believed her curly-haired menace of a sister stood, and made her way to the brunette. Kame casually shoved her out the door and handed her an umbrella and a school bag.

"Be careful on your way to school!" With a nod, Kame closed the door; effectively leaving a stunned sister and a confused boy staring at the object. From the other side, they could hear Anya shriek,

"_You let her go to school on her own? How nuts are you? Do you want to hurt her? That's bad for business!_"

"_It'll be okay. And don't talk about her like she's an object to be used._" Hearing enough, Torii turned, sensing the other's presence.

"Good morning," She whispered with a small smile.

"Morning…though I can't say it's good. It is raining after all…though I suppose that's good for you, so you can see…but its bad in case we get soaked; then we'll catch a cold…" Shinji flushed when she giggled quietly, "yes…I guess it a 'good morning'…so Good Morning."

"Right then," Torii smiled and shook her head lightly. "Shall we get going?"

"Okay," He nodded and began to lead her off, careful of directing her around objects along the walls. Quietly, he thought back to the night the girl stayed at his home…

"_Ah, Shinji-san," Kame addressed the boy, turning back to him, with Torii resting comfortably on her back._

"_Yes?" Ibu said, standing at the threshold of his front door._

"_Would you mind…taking Torii to and from school from now on…for a few days maybe?" _

"_Eh?"_

"_It's short notice, I' m sorry. I need someone to…well take care of her; protect her while I take care of the family matters. Do you mind? I can always find another way to do this."_

"_No, I don't mind." Shinji shook his head, "It's not out of my way."_

"_Thank you," The brunette looked relieved. "Good night."_

"_Good night."_

"Shinji-kun?" Torii called him back from his thoughts.

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking. I didn't mean to space out…I mean, it'd be okay elsewhere, but I don't want to wander anywhere else and…" He continued to softly rant on until her smile of amusement made him quiet down.

"I'm glad you can speak out all your thoughts, Shinji-kun, but can we focus?" She said.

"Ah, yeah," Shinji nodded, forgetting she couldn't see for a split second, and then continued to lead her without any distractions under the protection of the umbrella. Once they arrived at school, the bluenette escorted her to her classroom. "We're here."

"Ah, thank you." Torii smiled.

"No problem. I'll see you after school…"

"Ah, okay then!" She beamed and it made his face burn red.

The Apartment

"So, what are you really here for?" Kame leaned against the kitchen counter, a mug of coffee in her hands.

"What do you think?"

"You don't look happy. The comment about Torii made me worried too. The way you said it made it seem like something was already wrong."

"Mother…" Anya sighed with tiredness and exasperation that startled the older sibling, "Mother doesn't have much time left."

"Time…you mean…"

"Yes. Her lung cancer has already caught up with her. She is currently in the hospital. She realizes her mistake."

"…now why don't I believe that?" Kame frowned at the last sentence; even if she knew about her mother's disease, she thought she was getting treatment. "If she did, she wouldn't want Torii back in the business."

"Idiot!" Anya shouted suddenly, tears forming at her eyes, "Don't you see she wants what is best for our little sister! Do you know how many times I've had to lie and pretend Mother wants this to make her seem like she is still healthy? Do you know how hard it is for me to deal with this by myself?"

"Anya," Kame took two steps forward once the tears began to fall from her half-sibling's eyes and placed her coffee mug on the table, "then why didn't you say any of this earlier?"

"Weren't you listening?" Anya snapped, "I've had to cover for our _dying_ mother! She didn't want anyone to know, and she wanted to make sure Torii could be set for life before she died! Deep down, she cares! Don't you recall Kio and Hiroki-san's funeral? She may have looked indifferent, like she didn't care, but she did! I've had this burden of covering her tears and protecting the business all because Torii can't take care of herself with her eyesight gone!"

"Why couldn't Mother just say something? She didn't have to act so stubbornly." Kame watched as Anya huffed, trying to catch her breath. "You've carried this burden for so long…haven't you?"

"I can't take it…Kame-nee-san…_please_. Go see our mother. Facing death changes the minds of horrible people. She regrets hating you; she regrets having an affair and ruining so many things in our lives. She regrets everything. All she wants now…is for you and Torii to go see her."

"…Alright…I understand." Kame wrapped her arms around the other, letting her sob silently. "I will see her first, alone. Then I will decide if its okay for Torii to go. If I find out this a trick, so help me, I will take it out on you."

"…Fine."

November First

"Remember, Torii. Stay with Shinji-san after school at his tennis practice. I'll be by to pick you guys up later. Alright?"

"Alright, alright. Stay safe, Kame-san," Torii smiled at the brunette. She had no idea where her sister was going, because she didn't think she worked today, but whatever.

"I will. Goodbye you two," Kame ruffled Torii's hair and gave a small nod to Shinji. Shinji nodded in return and led off the blind girl. She watched the two off silently, before grabbing a few things. She grabbed her purse, wallet, keys, phone, and a small envelope.

She stared at the envelope for a few minutes. She had pulled it out of a box last night, and it was addressed to Kyoko. She knew it was from her father, his name was signed on the back in small script. She had no idea what it read, but after all the events learned, maybe her mother deserved to have it. After all, Kame had only found it when going through her father's things with her deceased husband, boyfriend at the time, after the funeral and held onto it. She shook her head, placing the envelope in her purse, and set off.

The bus ride to the hospital was only fifteen, maybe twenty, minutes long. She stepped off the bus, and headed into the reception area. Once she received the room number to a private room, she thanked the nurse and walked down the hallway at an unhurried pace. Thoughts swam in her head. What if it was a lie? What if her mother was already close to death and now she couldn't get her wish of seeing Torii one last time? What if Kame had made the wrong decision to leave her those years ago? Without even realizing it, Kame was in front of Kyoko's room. She sighed, knocked once, and entered.

What she saw made her gasp.

Her mother was hooked up to several machines, an IV drip was in the crook of her elbow, and a small oxygen mask laid over her barely wrinkled face. Purple eyes met dull purple eyes, and there was sudden recognition in them.

"Kame," Kyoko stated, pulling the mask off her mouth. "…you actually came."

"Yeah…I guess I did." Kame closed the door behind her, and sat at the chair next to the bed. "How are you holding up?"

"Barely," Kyoko sighed; she looked regretful. "Kame…I need to apologize to you." The brunette blinked,

"…for what?"

"Everything. I pushed things onto you. I argued with you when you wanted to move onto your own life, and I wanted to hate you for it. I knew that what I was doing wasn't best for neither you, nor Hiroki, nor Kio. And unfortunately for Hiroki and Kio, I can't even fix that anymore," the black-haired woman coughed and continued, "I want to make right with you and Torii at least. Anya can't get a hold of Sora or Haru. Things need to be right with them too."

"…Mother…I…can't blame you for any of this. My decisions were my own. Maybe if I didn't marry my husband, he wouldn't have died. Maybe if you came straight with everyone earlier, you wouldn't be regretful. Who knows anymore. Its all in the past. So I am a little glad you came to your senses now. Better late than never, right?" Kame forced a small laugh and smiled when her mother smiled slightly. She loved her mother's smile.

"Thank you…Kame."

"Don't thank me. I am only forgiving you because I want you to see Torii soon. That's all," Kame reached into her purse, "I don't know what this says, but this was addressed from my father to you. I've held onto this for years and I think I can give it to you now." She handed over the envelope, and Kyoko gingerly opened it. She unfolded the lined paper, and began to read. Kame stared in awe when her mother began to tear up. "May I ask what it says?"

"He…apologized to me. That damn, goofy, Hiroki…apologized to me…" Kyokyo's tears rolled down her cheeks, "I can't believe him…all this time he thought it was his fault things happened to you and Kio. He thought I was forcing work on you and ignoring you because of him. I can't believe his sappy romantic self thought this all this time…and now I can't even tell him wrong." Kame closed her eyes, willing her tears away. Her mother was too pitiful…

Fudomine Middle, After School

"Hey, Torii-san," Kamio greeted the girl as she sat on the bench at the tennis courts.

"Yes, Kamio-kun?" She replied with a small smile.

"Shinji's birthday is on the third."

"Eh?" She furrowed her eyebrows on such a sudden statement.

"I wanted to tell you because I thought it would be nice if you got him something, you know?" The redhead explained, watching his friend rally with Tachibana.

"Hm, okay," She nodded, pulling the Shinji's borrowed cap down further to shield her eyes better from the sun, even if it was partially cloudy out. "I'll think of what to get him."

"Awesome," Kamio grinned, "Oh, one other thing."

"Yes?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"Shinji asked Tachibana-san if you could rally a little for practice on an unused court for half an hour and he said okay. So I'm here to inform you and then take Shinji's place."

"Really?" Torii beamed and stood up just as Shinji came over. "Thank you, Tachibana-kun!"

"You're welcome," Tachibana replied.

"Ready? I'll let you borrow one of my racquets," Ibu murmured, "but if you don't want it, I can ask another person for theirs. But I'm not sure anyone else has extras today, so you might have to make do with mine. But then again, I can't be too sure until I ask…"

"It's okay, I'll use yours," Torii giggled and the bluenette lightly flushed.

Practice with his blind companion made his day better.

November Second

"Torii, can I talk to you about something?" Kame sat at the kitchen table of the apartment, and Torii sat there confused. They had just finished dinner.

"What's wrong?" The younger sibling asked, immediately noticing the anxious tone.

"Tomorrow, we are going to the hospital."

"Eh, what for?" As far as she knew, both her and the brunette were healthy.

"To see our mother."

"…_What?_"

"Mother is dying. She has lung cancer and she doesn't have much time left. I went to see her yesterday and she truly regrets everything she has done to us. I watched her break down and cry. I can't think this is some sick joke or a lie." Kame spoke in one breath; she figured it was best to get everything out at once.

"You…you saw her? Even though she said she hated you the most?"

"Yes. And she told me she wished to see you one last time to make amends; if she can." Torii frowned; tomorrow was Shinji's birthday and wanted to see him for that. But the thought of forgiving her mother was important. So, so important.

"…alright. I'll see her."

"Okay. The first thing tomorrow. I'll make sure to get you back to school by the end of the day." Kame said; she knew of the boy's birthday. She overheard it when she went to pick her sister up from his family. Torii merely nodded.

November Third

The bus ride to the hospital almost seemed to drag on much longer than the previous time. The sun shined in the clear sky, but that just made the atmosphere slightly worse. Torii pulled her (read: Shinji's) baseball cap down more. By the time they got there, she felt really nervous. Her sister, noting the feelings but saying nothing, led her into the hospital and down to their mother's hospital room. The brunette knocked once and entered, but froze at the other person in the room.

Suzuki Sora. Torii's father.

His young face looked as if it hadn't aged a day. His blue hair reached his ears, and bangs neatly covered his forehead. His blue eyes traveled to them upon their entrance.

"Kame-san, Torii…" He stated in pure shock. Kyoko blinked in surprise too; already in shock enough that he was there.

"This voice…Dad?" Torii tested. She hadn't heard from her father in years. Sora jolted and quickly walked over. Kame moved over to Kyoko so he could hug her.

"I'm sorry, Torii. I couldn't get a hold of your whereabouts. I've been looking for ways to restore your eyesight, but I keep coming up short. I'm sorry for not being here. I'm sorry, my dear daughter."

"Dad…" Torii's eyes filled up with tears and she shed them without a second thought, tightly hugging her father back. "I never heard from you. I didn't know what happened. I spent so long wondering where you were. If you were alive…I've missed you."

"I'm sorry." He apologized again.

"It's okay…" The blind girl sniffled as her father released her. "Mother…you're here, right?"

"Yes," Kyoko murmured, "I'm here. Torii, I need to apologize to you. There is nothing I can do for you to make it up to you. There isn't a thing to make things right. But, I'm sincerely sorry about the things I've pushed you into. I only wanted you to be able to be successful and not worry about being dependent on anyone. I acted too harshly."

"Yeah, you did." Torii stated, and the other occupants widened their eyes, "but, I can't blame you for it. I hated not being able to do things for myself. You forcing me to work around not having someone helped me made me realize I could. No matter how much I cried, I knew it would only help me get stronger. Mother, I'm sorry too. I abandoned you and ran away to Kame-san. It was wrong. After K…Kio-nii and Hiro-tan's passing away, I turned a blind eye on things. Figuratively and literally."

"Torii," Kyoko sounded taken aback.

"I can't run away anymore, Mother," The youngest continued, "I don't want to blame you for anything. The way you went about things is wrong, but they were done with the right intentions." Torii closed her eyes. She felt them tingle suddenly; she thought it was odd. Deciding to keep them closed, she spoke again, "I love you, Mother."

"Torii," Kyoko burst into tears and she walked over and hugged her mother gently. Kame smiled slightly with pity, though she frowned in her head. Her family was pitiful. There were so many deaths, deceits and lies. One thing after another and they all broke apart, but the near death state of the woman who started it all was what was bringing everyone back together. Torii pulled back, and opened her eyes when the tingling stopped. She blinked just as Kyoko smiled. She just blinked again.

"What's wrong, Torii?" Kame asked, confused. Torii blinked two more times and shook lightly. "Torii?"

"I…Kame-san…Dad…Mother…I…I-"

Fudomine Middle School, End of the School Day

Shinji sighed as he headed towards the school gates. There was no tennis practice that day, and he was to meet everyone to celebrate his birthday in an hour. He was disappointed that Torii hadn't shown up, and for some reason, Kamio looked strangely shocked about it. He shook his head, removing the thoughts. It was no big deal, any way. As he stepped closer to the gates, a black car pulled up and parked. There was a small hesitation when the door opened, and he saw the passenger look back to the driver as if to look for confirmation. He barely could see the driver nod from there and then the passenger darted out the door. He realized quickly the driver was Kame. The passenger barreled into him, and he stumbled back, catching the shoulders of the other. He blinked twice. It was Torii. She looked up to him with a large smile. He caught her icy irises. Were they reflecting light…or was that a trick of the eyes?

"Shinji-kun, happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Torii-chan." He said, still confused. She ran over to him, like she knew he was there and that is was him. But that was impossible…because she…

"Shinji-kun," She interrupted, and he tilted his head as she raised a hand to his hair.

"Yes?" He smiled and almost cried when she stated,

"Your hair…is blue."

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
